AUTOMOTIVE - AUTOS: Camaro Widens Lead Vs. Mustang

AUTOS: Camaro Widens Lead Vs. Mustang

For the second year in a row, the Chevy pony car outsold the Ford by an even bigger margin during 2011.

When Chevrolet Camaro beat Ford Mustang in sales last year (81,299 versus 73,716), Ford seemed to shrug it off with a ?won?t happen again? attitude. After all, Camaro had never before beaten Mustang, so Ford chalked it up to buyer excitement over the newly released Chevy.

A year later, it?s not looking so good for the Mustang clan. Not only did Camaro sales increase in 2011, Mustang sales fell from 2010 levels, widening the gap. Last year, Americans bought 88,249 Camaros, but only 70,438 Mustangs.

Despite several styling updates, Mustang is still viewed by consumers as an older model compared with Camaro. (Photo: Ford) After nearly five decades of competition (excluding the seven years that the Camaro was off the market), why is Camaro pulling ahead in sales while the venerable Ford Mustang is struggling? Could it be that the Camaro?s styling is still seen as fresh while the Mustang?s, which dates back to 2005 in current form, is getting old?

It?s probably not outright performance, since the nod generally goes to both the V6 and V8 Mustangs in stock form. Yes, the V6 Camaro puts out 323 horsepower versus the Mustang?s 305, but the Camaro is carrying around over 300 pounds more than the Mustang. It feels like a bigger car, too.

Step up to the V8 models, and it?s more of the same. The Camaro gets 426 horsepower if you opt for the six-speed manual, but it gets neutered to 400 horsepower if you opt for the automatic transmission. The Mustang only delivers 412 horsepower with either gearbox, but weighs more than 250 pounds less.

Even the new Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, with its promised 650 horsepower, hasn?t managed to generate the same hype and interest as the upcoming uber-Camaro ZL1, with its relatively ?modest? 580 horsepower. What?s going to happen when both models hit the street?

This story originally appeared at Motor Authority.

Source: http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-camaro-widens-lead-vs-mustang1/

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